Meunier-Lebouc pulls three ahead

Already one of the fastest players on the LPGA Tour, France's Patricia Meunier-Lebouc ran her bogey-free streak to 35 holes Friday while opening a three-stroke lead midway through the State Farm Classic.

Trying to play as briskly as possible, Meunier-Lebouc shot a 5-under-par 67 and has a 36-hole total of 13-under 131 as she seeks her first LPGA win.

"I walk very fast," explained the 29-year-old from Courbevoie. "I think it's good for the game. We speak a lot about slow play in the professional (game), but we don't consider how fast we walk. That should come into play.

"I'm not pushing myself, that's the way I am. My pace needs to feel it. Today was a little bit slow; the girl I was playing with was having trouble. And I was having trouble with that. ... Very slow, and I was waiting, it felt like hours to play a shot."

It did not affect Meunier-Lebouc too much as she moved from one stroke behind to three strokes ahead at The Rail Golf Club.

"I think it means a lot to me to be very consistent," she said. "I know I hit the ball pretty well now. What I am very happy about - at one stage today I was struggling a little bit. I was not as aggressive as yesterday, but still I kept making birdies. So I just said, `Keep doing what (you're) doing, just focus on the pin, play the shot.'"

Japan's Akiko Fukushima is second at 10-under 134 after her second straight 67, a wild round that included an eagle, seven birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey.

"It was a very busy day," she said through an interpreter. "Actually, when you look at the scores, I had the same as yesterday. But I think I shot the ball a lot better yesterday. I had no bogeys yesterday, but I had some today."

Korea's Mi-Hyun Kim is in third place at 135, one shot better Kim Saiki, Nancy Scranton, Cristie Kerr and Hall of Famer Betsy King.

First-round leader Becky Morgan of Wales stumbled to a 74 and is one of 11 players at 7-under 137.

Like Morgan, Meunier-Lebouc could not duplicate her first round. But she came a lot closer.

Starting on the 10th tee, Meunier-Lebouc made birdie putts of 15 and 18 feet at the 12th and 13th holes, respectively, then two-putted for another birdie at the 505-yard 15th.

On the front side, she nearly eagled the par-4 first hole and rolled in seven-foot birdies at Nos. 4 and 8. Her bogey-free run ended at the par-4 ninth hole, where she drove into the rough, hit a 5-iron into a bunker, blasted out to 10 feet and two-putted.

"I played well last year (here) and I finished sixth. I like this course," Meunier-Lebouc said. "It's a good course, actually. You need good shots. I like courses I can see the shot, (I can) visualize really well. This is helping for that. I like it."

Fukushima's rollercoaster ride began with birdies at the 10th and 13th holes. But she three-putted from 23 feet for bogey at No. 14, then followed with a three-foot eagle putt. The 29-year-old sent her tee shot into the water at the 163-yard 16th hole and ended up taking a double-bogey that dropped her to 1-under for the day.

Fukushima birdied four of the next six holes and tapped in from three feet at No. 8 to get to 11 under. But another errant tee shot led to her third bogey of the day at the par-4 ninth hole.

"Well, there are still two days left," said Fukushima, who broke her right big toe in July and did not play again until two weeks ago. "I know there are a lot of good players out there, so I know in the next couple of days I hope I can make some more birdies."

Points as well as dollars are on the mind of several golfers this week as the United States team for the 2002 Solheim Cup will be announced at the conclusion of the tournament.

The top 10 finishers in the Solheim Cup standings will qualify for the team, and captain Patty Sheehan will make two additional selections.

Among the players on the bubble competing this week are Wendy Ward (eighth), Dorothy Delasin (11th), Emilee Klein (12th), Pat Hurst (13th), Scranton (14th) and Danielle Ammacccapane (15th).

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